Dubai moves up MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2015 – in pictures

9th: Seoul. A hiker looks over the northern Seoul city skyline from a peak above the city. The MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities ranks cities in terms of the number of their total international overnight visitor arrivals and the cross-border spending by these same visitors in the destination cities, and gives visitor and passenger growth forecasts for 2015. Public data is used in deriving the international overnight visitor arrivals and their cross-border spending in each of the 132 destination cities, using custom-made algorithms. It pays special attention to eliminate the hub effects for destination cities such as Singapore, Dubai, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. Ed Jones / AFP

8th: Kuala Lumpur. A worker sweeps a car park in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Olivia Harris / Reuters

7th: Singapore. Tourists visit Singapore’s famous Merlion in front of the skyline of the city’s financial business district. Roslan Rahman / AFP

6th: New York. Tourists ride on a city tour bus passing billboards advertising various products in New York. Jewel Samad / AFP

5th: Istanbul. Tourists walk in front of the Ottoman era Ortakoy Mecidiye Mosque and Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. Istanbul is Europe’s most diversified destination, with 50 per cent of its international overnight visitors coming from 33 feeder cities. Osman Orsal / Reuters

4th: Dubai. The city is expected to receive almost 14.3 million international visitors in 2015, an increase of 8 per cent since 2014. When looking at the number of international overnight visitors that destination cities attract per city resident, Dubai comes out top with 5.7 visitors per resident (an increase by 0.8 from 2014). The city also generates more international overnight visitor expenditure per resident than any other city (estimated at $4,668), according to the MasterCard study. Dubai ranked eighth in the index in 2012, seventh in 2013 and fifth last year. Razan Alzayani / The National

3rd: Paris. Tourists take selfies outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral greets some 13 million tourists a year according to its official website. The cathedral, with its construction dating from 1163, is an important example of French Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass. Charles Platiau / Reuters

2nd: Bangkok. A Thai souvenir vendor waits for tourists at the entrance gate of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

1st: London. Tourists pose for pictures beside a model of the 2012 Olympic mascot Mandeville near London’s Tower Bridge. Will Oliver / AFP

The city continues to climb the ranks as one of the top destinations for international travellers according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2015. Find out which city is top.